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Thursday, October 19, 2017

Feeding India

India is the second largest producer of food in the world, and the largest producer of fruits and vegetables, milk, cereal and seafood products.India also has one of the world's largest population of children suffering from malnutrition, almost double the corresponding number for sub-Saharan Africa. India in the last 10 years has slipped six positions from 94 to 100 (out of 119 countries) on the World Hunger Index.Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union minister of food processing industries, said, "India produces enough, but it doesn't reach the people. In other countries, wastage happens on the plate, but in India, it happens at the harvest, transportation and storage stages."Almost 25-30 percent of agricultural produce is estimated to be wasted in India, while only seven percent of the total perishable produce is processed, compared to countries like the US (65 percent), Philippines (78 percent) and China (23 percent). Linking food wastage to hunger is only a small part of the problem and only a partial solution. To end hunger and provide ample nutritious food for all contact: